Hayley Mills {Happy Belated Birthday!}

April 20, 2009



Happy 63rd Birthday to Hayley Mills!

If you are a girl, and you were born anytime from about 1950 to the present, you probably loved Hayley Mills films when you were little... and if you're like me, you never grew out of it.

One of the greatest things about her films is the fact that they span generations. My mom loved the same films as a child that I loved when I was little. Not many stars have that staying power.

When I was a kid, my favorite of her films were The Parent Trap and The Trouble with Angels. I was still pretty young when the remake of The Parent Trap was released, and it was probably my first encounter with Remake Anxiety! Hayley Mills was my favorite actress... how dare anyone try to take her place!

To this day I still love watching her movies. I've found new things to love about each one. And! I finally know who her co-stars are. When I was little, I always thought her dad in The Parent Trap was John Wayne. Now, I know he is Brian Keith. (although, I guess most kids didn't even know who John Wayne was, right? lol) Pollyanna is filled with classic film favorites-- Jane Wyman, Karl Malden, Agnes Moorehead, Donald Crisp and Adolphe Menjou. It's such a delight re-watching these films and seeing so many familiar faces!

But my real, real all-time favorite film as a kid was The Trouble with Angels. I pretty much knew the dialogue from that film by heart. Hayley Mills' character was just the best thing on film. Even now, one of my favorite things to say is "I have the most scathingly, brilliant idea" -- a catch line from the film.

I don't know about you, but I'm the kind of grown-up that is still 90% kid. I still love all the things I did as a child; I love the Disney films (obviously live action & cartoon) I still love using my imagination, playing with crayons, wearing pigtails and using sidewalk chalk. Hayley Mills is just another facet of my childish character; I still love her films, and enjoy watching them just as much today as I did when I was little. Maybe even more so...
PS. If I ever have a daughter, I am SO naming her Hayley! My favorite name, ever!

16 comments:

Paul D Brazill said...

Lovely pic. 'Whistle down the wind' is one of my fave films.

Classic Maiden said...

Great tribute post, I thought - even if I've, sadly, never seen any of her movies.

I love the painting - very chic and great choice of colors :)

Nicole Newcomb said...

I love the painting you did of her. I'm just like you, I'm still like a kid. I love watching Disney movies. :)

Millie said...

Ohmigosh, I adore Hayley!!!!!!

And that painting is amazing...great job!

I am so like you, Hayley was one of my very, very, very favorites when I was little.

And I still watch them all the time. I own, "The Parent Trap", "That Darn Cat", "Pollyanna", "The Trouble With Angels", and "The Moonspinners"!

And I totally always use the "scathingly brilliant idea" line. Because it sounds so cool and intelligent...even to people who haven't seen the film. ;-D

Wow, I just adore her! Thanks SO much for honoring her birthday!

Happy 63rd Hayley!

Lolita of the Classics said...

I love the spaghetti photo!

Anonymous said...

one of THE most adorable people ever--period! great profile of her, thanks for posting!

Sarah Mann said...

Trouble With Angels is probably one of my favorites! I love the hijinks of her and her friend :D<3
Great profile painting. I love that last photo of her!

Terence Towles Canote said...

I have to admit that as a little boy I had an enormous crush on Hayley Mills. As a kid my favourite of her films was The Parent Trap (it was the first one I saw), along with That Darn Cat (I loved cats even then).

Raquel Stecher said...

Hayley Mills = Cool

Caitlin said...

I've never actually seen any of her films, but she still managed to worm her way into my childhood. She'll always be Miss Bliss to me.

The Kid In The Front Row said...

Wow, she was so beautiful. Astonishing.

The Kid In The Front Row said...

I should clarify; I don't mean that like a weirdo. Ha!

Elsie said...

As a girl, my favorite film of hers was Summer Magic, but hardly anyone seems to remember it these days!

Lolita of the Classics said...

Such a great post! I love hearing about why you like things you like, and you write in such an easy and entertaining manner. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - this is one of my absolute favourite blogs.

MPJ said...

Was looking for my doppelganger on facebook, and was always mistaken for Hayley Mills as a young girl! Love your painting, stay creative and keep writing!!

Victoria Talia said...

OMG. Everything you said in this film is SO ME. Just so you know, I'm posting this as I'm watching 'The Trouble with Angels', which, surprisingly, was the only popular Hayley Mills film that somehow escaped my childhood. I discovered it just last year and have become literally obsessed with it ever since.

Other than that, I grew up with the likes of The Parent Trap (for a short while when I was little, I, too, totally thought Brian Keith was John Wayne and only associate Maureen O'Hara with this film and therefore always refer to her as "The Parent Trap Mother"), Pollyanna, and Summer Magic. I literally quote those 3 films on a regular basis in my everyday life and pretty much everything reminds me of each of those films. I could just go on and on about how happy Hayley Mills films make me. I'm 26 and still feel an incredible magic-feeling when watching her films...absolutely amazing. :)